Why do we have Literature classes in school? It doesn't help me to suffer through books that have no meaning to me. I would normally ask my teacher this, but I've asked her enough questions critisizing the cirriculum and getting yelled at for them.

Why do we have Literature classes in school? It doesn't help me to suffer through books that have no meaning to me. I would normally ask my teacher this, but I've asked her enough questions critisizing the cirriculum and getting yelled at for them.

Why do we have Literature classes in school? It doesn't help me to suffer through books that have no meaning to me. I would normally ask my teacher this, but I've asked her enough questions critisizing the cirriculum and getting yelled at for them.

Does anyone have any reason?

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because schools, even when they are run by the government are still a business...and they want as much of oyur money as possible. if they require a lit class then you have to take it, and oyu have to stick around another semester or two or more to get through all those silly gen ed classes.

but don't worry, it'll be more fun than you think. lit class wasn't that bad in college...wait i'm just saying that because i took philosophy instead...HA! you're done.

I always wondered why i had to take art history to get through my busienss degree. some things i think people need to know to be prepared for life in general, but I don't think lit class is one of them. I do see value in taking one...i took them in high school, but there are so may subjects i'd rather take. that american lit class in high school i had to take meant i didn't get to take pysch back then. that art history class meant i had to skip another econ class. if i could've chosen my classes completely on my own i would've specialized in mostly philosophy, econ, sales and business and probably pyschology.

Why do we have Literature classes in school? It doesn't help me to suffer through books that have no meaning to me. I would normally ask my teacher this, but I've asked her enough questions critisizing the cirriculum and getting yelled at for them.

Does anyone have any reason?

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Do you mean English Language Arts, where you read books, write eassys, and that sort of thing...Were you learn to read, write, spell, discuss...

Do you mean English Language Arts, where you read books, write eassys, and that sort of thing...Were you learn to read, write, spell, discuss...

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no english class is where you learn to write, read and spell. Then you take some sort of business communication course where you learn how to write, speak and spell business type stuff...lit class is merely reading, analyzing and studying a select few specific authors and/or works.

Because the goal of the public school system is to make you "well rounded". I agree it sucks. I don't mind writing, I am actually quite good at it when I try a little and get good grades on them. What I hate is having to know how to disect a sentence into every stupid little "info arm" that has ever existed. I don't care what an elliptical adverb clause is!!!!!! I don't mind reading and discussing books since I have some smart people in my English class that can actually follow what I am trying to get at, but when we read books like All Quite on the Western Front I get bored. . .Let's read a good book like Ender's Game or Dune and discuss that! Seriously if there is a book where the "hidden meaning" isn't so blatently obivious I think it is thrown out of all schools.

The world is already filled with IT specialists who can't write their way out of a paper bag even with MS Word underlining the iffy grammar and bizarre spellings in their writing. Congrats to everyone in this thread who thinks that a poor appreciation for language and its capabilities is perfectly fine as long as you can do math.

Just one little heads-up for you: There are 200 million Chinese and Indian workers who have a poor grasp of the English language and a real talent for scientific work, just like you. And they will work for less and take your jobs. Suck it up.

Lit classes aren't meant to make you read book A and soak up the same message from it that everyone around you gets. They are supposed to help you learn how to approach a text, read it, formulate ideas about it, and present those ideas. If you think those aren't skills that come in handy to technicians and computer designers, then feel free to ignore the lessons you're supposed to be learning. Don't be surprised when one day you come up against a situation where you wish you had them under your belt, though.

The world is already filled with IT specialists who can't write their way out of a paper bag even with MS Word underlining the iffy grammar and bizarre spellings in their writing. Congrats to everyone in this thread who thinks that a poor appreciation for language and its capabilities is perfectly fine as long as you can do math.

Just one little heads-up for you: There are 200 million Chinese and Indian workers who have a poor grasp of the English language and a real talent for scientific work, just like you. And they will work for less and take your jobs. Suck it up.

Lit classes aren't meant to make you read book A and soak up the same message from it that everyone around you gets. They are supposed to help you learn how to approach a text, read it, formulate ideas about it, and present those ideas. If you think those aren't skills that come in handy to technicians and computer designers, then feel free to ignore the lessons you're supposed to be learning. Don't be surprised when one day you come up against a situation where you wish you had them under your belt, though.

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My point was we don't read interesting books, all the ones we are forced to read have predictable outcomes and an overuse of symbolism. We all know writing is important, but why do I have to know how to disect a sentence when I have never heard of any ever doing it again unless they are a language teacher. I also have never learned anything from these "exercises". So it is kind of like the rotating arm "warm up" you do in gym as a little kid, it doesn't really do anything and you will never use it.

At first Piff, I was going to strangle you because English and English related classes are my favorites (ironically I still can't write worth a crap). When I thought about it though, the choices my school picked were relatively natural and redundant. Their theme was something to the like of civil disobedience, and dare I say anti-goverment (which is funny, considering the senior soccer captain was threatened to be dismissed from school after using a prep rally to explain his anti-war views).

After going through this through Junior and Senior year, I got amazingly fed up with the lack of anything enlightening. There wasn't anything about enrichment of life, or simply anything that would have been fun to read.

So did you strike out on your own and find books that you did find interesting?

And (be honest here) when you read those new books did you make use of any of the analytical skills that you learned in your lit-related classes?

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I must confess. The only time I read a book is when my teacher either put it in front of me or threatened to beat my butt red if I didn't pick one out at the libary. I have this issue with not being able to do anything worth while with an active computer laying about.